Homeless Penguin
by LeonardKnight
Summary: What happens when Skipper and his team encounter a homeless penguin? Find Out
1. The Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own Penguins of Madagascar, Nickelodeon does

* * *

Dusk arrives in the streets of New York City and the sound of a bustling electric platform truck can be heard travelling on its smooth cemented highway. Strapped tight upon its back is a small crate, and its cargo, carries a small animal that needs to be delivered to its destination, The Hoboken Zoo in New Jersey.

As the truck approaches a hump while passing through 5th Avenue, its wheels suddenly collided against the hump, and as it happens, the rope that held its cargo snaps, and the crate is sent flinging to Central Park, it then falls to the ground and breaks to pieces, thankfully its content remained unharmed as it lands softly on a pile of grass. We see now that the content reveals a young baby penguin that has recently woken up from its sleep, it eyes were emerald green, and its body had baby fluff that covered his whole body.

Rubbing its eyes, it tried to get up and surveyed its peculiar surroundings, he then muttered to himself if this was where he was supposed to be heading "Is this where I'm supposed to be going?", he muttered to himself in an innocent voice. It was then he realizes that the truck took him to the wrong destination and that it had somehow abandoned him, he then understands it was too late to catch up to the truck as it had already gone far. And as a last resort, he tries to find a place to spend the night. He scoured the whole area, looking for a place to sleep.

After minutes of searching, he finds a tree with a hollow opening near its roots, thankfully though its opening was big enough to allow the penguin to fit in and snuggle back to sleep.

Midnight came and five silhouette figures came out from the darkness and tip toed through the park hoping not wake anyone who were asleep, it was then one of these figures is revealed to be the genetically enhanced muscular lab rat named the Rat King, the other four companions with him were the sewer rats. Meanwhile the baby penguin, sleeping soundly inside the hollow tree, unbeknownst to him on his side was a stash of souvenirs stolen from the zoo days ago. The Rat King and his minions temporarily hid their stash in that same tree for safekeeping and would retrieve it once the time was right.

"Ok boys, let's find that souvenir stash we stole from the zoo, umm which tree was it?" the Rat King asked.

"We forgot boss, for all we know its been five days since we've hidden the stash" one of the sewer rats responded.

"Well keep looking its around here somewhere, if those annoying birds found out about this, we'd be in big trouble", said the Rat King.

After minutes of searching, one of sewer rats finally found the location of their stash.

"Hey boss I think I found it, but somethings blocking it, and it's moving!" said the sewer rat.

The Rat King said, "Well then drag it out, grab the loot and let's skedaddle out of here."

"I can't, it's too big, I don't think I'll be able to move it" said the sewer rat.

"Out of the way, let me do it, you're such a wimp", the Rat King said.

Due to his colossal size, it's no doubt the Rat King's large muscular hands could move the obstacle with ease that was preventing him from reaching his loot. He tried to reach as far as he could with his hands to the extent that he grabbed the small penguin and dragged him slowly out of the tree.

Suddenly, the confused and dazed penguin had been awakened from its slumber, he asked "He- Hello, who are you guys?"

"Boss, I think he could be one of those birds, I think they already found out about our secret stash!" said the sewer rat who panicked upon realizing that the penguins could have found out about their secret stash.

"Not yet, we can't conclude that for sure, I'll ask him some questions first" the Rat King asked. "Say, you're not one of those birds from the zoo are you?"

"Ummm no sir, I'm afraid I don't know any penguins that live in the zoo, you see I came from Antarctica and I was brought here to be safeguarded from poachers" responded the penguin in an innocent voice while smiling.

"What do we do boss, beat him to a pulp?" asked the sewer rat.

* * *

POOR PENGUIN, WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN TO HIM, FIND OUT WHEN I CONTINUE THE STORY


	2. The Scheme

Well here is the second part of the story, enjoy

* * *

"Hey I got an idea boss, why don't we tie him up upside down to this tree and then leave him here until morning." A second rat responded

"Wait, what? No, I don't think this little guy even knows those birds from the zoo, I mean look at him, he's young, harmless, and I'm pretty sure he's going to be useful to us."

"How can he be useful to us boss?" the sewer rat asked.

The Rat King gave devious grin to his minions as if he's planning some sort of nasty scheme. And he plans use the baby penguin as some sort of bait in order to attract the attention of Skipper and his crew while the Rat King and the sewer rats steal souvenirs from the Zoovenir shop.

"Uh oh, I don't like the look on his face." Said the nervous sewer rat

"Would you excuse us for a minute? Its umm, family meeting," said the Rat King

"Oh no problem sir, just take your time" said the baby penguin.

They then formed a circle to discuss the matter. The meeting took no more than 5 minutes on devising a plan; first the Rat King will send the baby penguin to the zoo as if it was a new arrival from Hoboken, next the penguin will then use its natural charm to allure the zoo residents and keep them distracted and while this is happening, the Rat King and his minions sneak into the Zoovenir shop and steal everything.

It's a perfect plan and a plan the Rat King doesn't want to fail.

"Brilliant boss, with him around as bait, we can steal whatever we want, whenever we want." said the sewer rat. Then they all screamed happily in unison.

"But boss, should we tell him about the plan, I mean he's part of this too right?" said the sewer rat

"No way, I mean not now, now is not the time tell him our plan, I'm just gonna let him stay in our joint for a few days and then tell him that he will be transferred to the zoo and that a big surprise awaits for him there" said the Rat King

"I get it now boss, after we steal all the stuff, the penguins will soon become suspicious of the stolen loot and blame it on him, on the newcomer." responded the sewer rat

"Exactly", said the Rat King

"But won't he get suspicious that were just using him?" asked the sewer rat

"Nah, he's too young to understand, just trust me, everything will go according as plan" said the Rat King

The meeting ended with the Rat King letting out a cough before turning and speaking to the penguin. "Mmmgh, right, now where were we, ahh yes, what's your name little guy?"

"My name?", the penguin asked.

"Yes your name," said the Rat King

"My name is David, what's yours?" asked David

"My name is the Rat King, but you can call me boss if you want to" the Rat King said. "Anyway, do you have a place to stay?"

"No sir, in fact I've been looking around this area for a place to sleep and this tree right here is my only home for now," David said

"Well if you want you can stay with us, and while you're with us, we can find you a new home to live in." responded the Rat King

"Really sir?, oh thank you, thank you very much sir" said David

With the Rat King giving him his word, the young penguin ran up to the Rat King and gave him a hug, the Rat King gave him a stroke on his head while looking down on him with a devious grin. His minions just snickered at him at the sight of him hugging David.

The Rat King yelled, "What are you guys laughing at!"

They responded in unison, "Nothing boss", they remained quiet but still couldn't stop snickering.

"Right, now let's go back home to the sewers, and don't forget that loot, ahhh I mean bag of candy" said the Rat King

With everything set and the plan ready to go, the Rat King and his minions vacated the place together with the stolen loot, with David following them behind of course.

_At the sewers..._

At the sewers the Rat King and his sewer rats continued to walk home. David, trailing them from behind, unaware of the plan the Rat King had in store for him, complained about being hungry and asked "Is there really candy in that bag Mr. Rat King?"

"Umm yes, there is candy in this bag" said the Rat King. He then whispered to one of the sewer rats "Give him candy, he's hungry"

Following his Kings command, the sewer rat reached his hands down the stash and pulled out one Peanut Butter Winkie from the bag and gave it to David so he can eat it.

"Here, enjoy it while it lasts" said the sewer rat

"Thank you little guy" said David

Angered by David's comment, the rat responded "Little?, why you little...", he held his fists in the air and was about to punch David when the Rat King grabbed his fists and stopped him in his tracks saying "save it" while giving the small rat a stern look.

The smaller rat grumbled in frustration and continued on walking home.

"Sorry about that, he's just umm, sensitive, that's all" said the Rat King to David.

Finally after their half an hour walk, they finally arrived home.

The Rat King then gave a warm welcome to David.

"Welcome to our humble abode!"


	3. The Arrival

"You sir have a lovely home" compliments an honest David

"Why thank you, sorry about the mess though, were trying to fix the place" said the Rat King. The Rat King places his hands on the wall while leaning on it when suddenly the wallpaper came off.

Embarrassed, he tried to stick it back on but the wallpaper wouldn't just cling. Leaving the wallpaper as it is, he points out to David the place where he'll be sleeping for the night, and he points out a spot in the corner where he'll be sleeping. The smaller rats then gave him a pillow to lay his head on and David yawns then snuggles back to sleep, hoping that the day tomorrow will be better. Everyone else then falls asleep as the night ends.

_2 days later..._

It's been two days since David started living with the Rat King and while he was watching TV, something was going through his mind, since he started living in the sewers it felt like he was already becoming part of the family. Or so he thought he did. He then got down from the couch and tried to find the Rat King so he could thank him for letting him stay.

_Meanwhile..._

The Rat King was elsewhere with his minions, he called them for a meeting about their plan. Now is the time to prepare for the execution of their operation. Soon after the meeting had finished, David appeared in the room and without hesitation he approached the Rat King telling him...

"Umm sir, I just wanna say thank you for sharing your home to me, I wouldn't be here talking to you if you didn't come along, I really feel like I'm part of your family, so thank you sir" responds David in sweet tone.

"Why I'm flattered", the Rat King might have answered in a grateful tone, but the smile on the devious rat tells otherwise.

He kept smiling until one of the sewer rats snapped him back into reality. The sewer rat whispered into his ear "Umm boss, about the plan, did you forget?"

"Huh, oh yeah the plan, David!, Good news, we've found you a new home, and it's in a zoo"

"Really?, is it nice?" the penguin asked

"Yeah, its nice alright, and its more roomy" the Rat King said

"But I already have what I want, and its you guys, I don't need a zoo to keep me comfortable, I'm better living here with you guys" said David

"But its got everything you want unlike down here in the sewers and we only want what's best for you, because we care" responded the Rat King

"Oh ok, as long the people are nice in the zoo, I don't mind" said David

"Then its settled, were shipping you to the zoo tomorrow morning" respond the Rat King " And this is the crate where you will be placed in tomorrow morning"

_The next day..._

Dawn arrives in New York the next day and the crate is delivered early morning at the zoo.

Alice is the first one who notices the crate and becomes bewildered, and after inspectioning it, she becomes stupefied that a crate myteriously appeared at the entrance of the zoo. She then realizes that the crate came from the Hoboken Zoo due to the label. She then arranges a call to the Hoboken Personnel in Hoboken, New Jersey to ask about the mysterious crate.

"Hello, I'd like to speak to the one in charge of the deliveries in your zoo" she starts off in a gentle tone.

Then the voice on the other line responds "How may I help you ma'am?"

Then the gentle tone changes into an angry tone, "Yeah, why didn't you people notify me there was a transfer from the Hoboken Zoo?, I mean come on!, what's wrong with you people!, haven't you ever heard of a telephone?"

The person on the other line said, " Whoa lady calm down, we didn't send any transfer from the Hoboken Zoo, if we did, we probably would have notified you by telephone or by fax"

The tone of Alice's voice changes again from an angry tone to a much calm tone "So you didn't mean to send any animal to this zoo?"

The other line responded "Well, no, but there was an animal being transported from Antarctica late last night, I think there was a baby penguin inside it. Although when we came to check it, the crate was no longer in the truck, maybe the crate that landed in your zoo is the one were looking for."

"Well that solves both of our problems, I'll have it delivered later this afternoon" said Alice

No response came from the other line...

"Hello?, are you still there?"

After a brief moment of silence, the other line finally responds, "Oh sorry Alice, this looks unfortunate, it seems that our penguin exhibit here in the Hoboken Zoo has been damaged and we need time to fix it, hey listen you have a penguin exhibit at your zoo right?"

"Yeah why?" she asked

"Could you maybe at least give the baby penguin a temporary stay in your zoo?" the other line asked

Alice let out a sigh before agreeing, "Fine, I'll do it"

"Thanks Alice, I'll have the transfer papers delivered this afternoon" responds the other line

Alice then hangs up and proceeds to retrieve the crate. She carries the crate and drops it in the hand truck, she then goes to the penguins habitat to drop off the young baby penguin.

Elsewhere...

The Rat King and his minions, hidden in sight, spots Alice carrying the crate and dragging it away towards the penguins habitat.

"It's working boss, she took the bait, our plan is falling right into place" said the sewer rat

"Perfect" said the Rat King as he laughs maniacally.

To be continued...

And this ends it, for now...

* * *

The Rat King is always up to no good, find what happens in the next chapter...


	4. The Suspicion

_Meanwhile..._

Being assigned on recon duty, Private uses a binocular to spy on Alice on top of the platform in their habitat. He notices that the mysterious crate is a new arrival from the Hoboken Zoo.

He then dives back into the opening of the HQ near the fishbowl entrance and calls for the attention of Skipper to inform him about the crate that had just arrived at the zoo.

"Skippa, you have to see this, Alice is bringing a crate, we have a new arrival at the zoo" said the joyous Private.

"Arrival? The zoo records didn't say there will be an arrival today!, did you eat sweets again and started to hallucinate?" said Skipper

"Umm, no Skippa I didn't eat any sweets today and I'm pretty sure that crate is real" said Private

"Alright men, move out! Topside" commanded Skipper while pointing his flipper at Kowalski who was testing out his latest invention and Rico being his test subject.

They all went outside the fishbowl entrance and into their fighting stance. And they line up in position according to height. To the left we see Kowalski, next to him is Rico and finally to the right is Private.

Skipper then places his flippers behind his back while walking back and forth, but his raging paranoia catches on to him saying "Alright men we've got an unidentified newcomer at the zoo, we don't know what this crate holds, so be on your guard, assume the worst, it could be a spy."

"But Skippa, we don't know anything about it yet, we don't even know which habitat it belongs to" interrupts Private.

"Private" said an annoyed Skipper.

"Sorry Skippa, but I think we should examine it before going into any conclusions" responds Private

"Alright, alright, we'll examine it" agrees Skipper

Skipper then tells Kowalski to analyze the crate.

"Kowalski analysis" said Skipper

"Judging by the size of the crate, I can say we could be dealing with one small mammal" said Kowalski

"Stand down boys; I think this situation is completely under control, it's just one mammal, I don't think we need to worry anymore" said Skipper

He then turns to Kowalski to ask him to which habitat the crate is headed to.

"Kowalski can you detect which habitat is the crate heading to?" Said Skipper

"Validating from what I can see on the label attached, I conclude that the crate is heading towards our habitat. And I'm assuming that the arrival, without a doubt, is a penguin, one of our kind." Said Kowalski smiling.

"Whoa whoa wait, did I hear you right Kowalski, did you say it's coming to our habitat?" asked Skipper

"Oh most definitely, and apparently it looks as if it's coming right about (_pauses for a mere 5 seconds_) now" said Kowalski

"We're gonna have a new member, and that means I won't be the youngest recruit anymore" Sighs a disappointed Private.

After Alice arrives at the penguin's habitat, she grabs a crowbar to open the box and free the young baby penguin from the crate. She notices after opening the box, she can see the young penguin still asleep and so she decides not to wake it up and instead slowly places it on top of the penguin's habitat while whispering "In you go, little guy". Alice then leaves the penguins habitat to focus on her busy schedule.

Skipper and his troop gazed on the sleeping penguin with aww for a few minutes before taking him inside their HQ.

"Alright Boys bring this cute, adorable little penguin to our HQ and place him in the lowest bunk" commands Skipper

"Sure thing Skippa" responds Private

They then give a salute to their leader before bringing the baby penguin in their HQ.

_After a few hours of rest..._

David awakens from his sleep in Skipper's bunk and when he first opens his eyes, the very first person he sees is Marlene. She then greets him with smile welcoming him to the zoo.

"Hi I'm Marlene, nice to meet you, welcome to the zoo...

* * *

_Well this ends it for now..._


	5. Skipper's Interrogation

_A flashback scene appears while David is still asleep_

Excited about the arrival of a zoo newcomer, Private asks permission from Skipper to visit Marlene and tell her about the exciting new arrival.

"Marlene where are you I've got some exciting news" asked Private

"What, what is it Private?" said Marlene who appears to have been recently awaken from her afternoon nap.

Out of excitement, Private suddenly drags Marlene from her habitat into the penguins HQ without telling her what has recently happened.

"Ok Private, what's this all about?," asks Marlene

"I'll tell you when we get there, it's a surprise Marlene, I can't spoil it for you" said Private

Finally after minutes of dragging Marlene, they arrive in the HQ through the hole just behind Private's first prize.

"Ok Private, what's so important that you dragged me here all the way here?"

"We have a newcomer at the zoo Marlene" responds Kowalski

"So you dragged me all the way here, just to tell me that we have a newcomer at the zoo?, come on" said Marlene to Private

"Not just any newcomer Marlene, it's a baby Penguin, one of us" responds Private

The rest of the team then points out their flipper to the baby penguin sleeping

"Wait, whaaa," Marlene was left speechless after seeing the baby penguin sleeping soundly in Skipper's bunk

_"_Wait I think he's waking up" said Marlene

Suddenly, the baby penguin starts to wake up, he first yawns while stretching out his tiny flippers into the air, then rubs his eyes before opening it and sees the zoo residents for the first time.

_Back to the present_

"Hello Ma'am, nice to meet you too, and what are your names Sir? I would very much like to get to know all of you" said David

"Aww, he's just a bundle of precious, and he even talks cute" comments Marlene

Private said "Hello I'm Private, this is Kowalski, over there is Rico playing with his dolly and this is..."

Skipper cut off Private before he could finish with the introduction

Skipper said "Whoa, Whoa Private enough with the introductions, you can't just give away our secret profile to just anyone, it could compromise our entire operation, not to mention our individual identities."

"Right, since when do you guys ever keep your identity a secret?" asks Marlene with a quizzical look

"Since yesterday when Kowalski initiated that idea... right after dinner" replies Skipper

"Wouldn't it be easier to just introduce yourself Skipper?" Marlene asks

"Negative Marlene, we can't take that chance, one minute you befriend someone and when you turn your back, the next thing you'll know, he probably knocks you out cold. And I'm not about to let that happen, it's a simple yet effective mind-boggling plan Marlene. I've seen it happened a couple of times already." said Skipper while trying to mesmerize Marlene with his flippers.

"There's that raging paranoia again, remember what I told you, friendliness beats paranoia" said Marlene

While Skipper rolled his eyes in disbelief, Private suddenly intervenes in the conversation between Skipper and Marlene

"Umm Skippa, I don't want to interrupt the conversation between you and Marlene, but shouldn't we be entertaining the little penguin, after all he is our special guest and it's rude to just ignore him" said Private

"Apparently I agree with Private, it is our duty as hosts to provide warmth and hospitality for our guest, it's impolite to be inattentive" agrees Kowalski

"Yup" grumbles Rico, adding another affirmation

Realizing his team is right, Skipper turns over to Private. "Right you are, young Private" said Skipper

He then shifts his attention to little David asking him a bunch of consecutive questions

"Okay soldier, state your business in this zoo, why were you sent here? And where did you come from?"

David then explains his side of the story...

"Well Sir, I came from Antarctica but before I came to this place, me and my mother were captured by one of the poachers, but along the way they separated me from my mother in different rookeries. The poachers only wanted baby penguins, so they can sell me to private collectors, fortunately somebody came to my rescue, so they sent me here in order to protect me from poachers, but sadly I never saw my mother again. I was supposed to be going to the Hoboken Zoo but I guess the truck had abandoned me here and after that I decided to sleep in a hollow tree just outside of the zoo." Said David

David's sincere story had touched Private, Kowalski, Rico and even Marlene to the point where Private leaked a tear in his eye, and Rico regurgitated a box of tissue paper so that everybody can use the tissue to wipe their tears. But Skipper remained tough as nails, never giving in to any emotions and never believing a word David had uttered. It would be up to Skipper, the team leader, to decide if he would let him stay or not.

"Well his story checks out" said Skipper with his indifference

"Abandon and orphaned? That is one of the most depressing stories I've ever heard from someone, I don't think anyone could ever top that" said a crying Private.

Private along with Rico, Kowalski and Marlene then try to convince Skipper to let him stay in zoo, even for just one night. "Skipper I think we should let David stay with us, it would be fun having another penguin in the HQ" said Kowalski happily.

"Come on Skipper, pleaseeeee" adds Marlene, hoping that Skipper will agree to their plea.

"Fine," Skipper said gruntingly, "I'll let him stay, for now, but I'll still keep an eye out on him"

"Rico prepare a pillow and blanket for our little guest, and be ready at all times men, David here could ambush all of us while were sleeping, so be on your guard" said Skipper

"Yeah, I sincerely doubt David can do that and if it ever happens, good luck. Well I better get back home, see you tomorrow guys", Marlene waves her hands in the air to say goodbye to the penguins and then turns to the door and leaves. Hoping to see David again the next morning. As if trouble isn't enough, King Julien and the other lemurs unexpectedly burst thru the penguins entrance door.

"Elow silly Penguins, who is this newcomer, asked your King, which is me, has been hearing about since this morning?" asks Julien

"Ringtail!, what are you doing here?" said an irritated Skipper


	6. Change of Heart

"Doesn't anybody follow the knock on the door and enter routine anymore?" complained Skipper

He then asks Julien "Don't you ever knock Ringtail?"

King Julien let out a loud chuckle before talking to Skipper.

"Why of course not bossy penguin, I am King of this zoo, and the law states that I should be allowed to go wherever I may please, right Maurice?" said King Julien

Maurice said "As the Kings royal advisor I have to say he's right"

"See? Even Maurice agrees with me" said Julien

"I'd just agree with King Julien if I were with you, it makes everything easier and much simpler that way" Maurice whispers to Skippers invisible ear

"Now enough with the chitty chat, where is this new arrival we've been hearing about? I demand you tell me now! Where is he?" demands King Julien

"Right over there", points Skipper to the coffee table with his right flipper. Julien and the other lemurs then approach the little penguin in order to get a good look at him, and upon glancing at him, the lemurs become enthralled to his appearance.

"Isn't he the cutest thing my eyes have ever seen?, besides me of course. I just wanna squeeze the little cutie with my paws" said King Julien

"Cuter than me?" responds Mort, then clings on to Julien's feet

"Mort no touching the royal feet, Maurice remove Mort off the royal feet" said King Julien

Being told to do so, Maurice unscrews him off of Julien's feet and then throws Mort to the side of the wall, knocking him out. They then ask David questions in order to get to know him better. Maurice gets to be the first to ask.

"Hey little guy, what's your name?"

David responds "My name is David, and who may you be sir?"

"Why I'm Maurice, this is King Julien; he's the King of the zoo and over there is Mort" said Maurice

"Nice to meet you Sir Maurice, Mort and...ummm, I'm sorry sir, what's your name again" said David

Unable to remember the Kings name, Julien's happy grin suddenly changes into angry grin all because David could not remember his name.

"What?, how dare you insult me by not remembering my name, I shall punish you harshly, Maurice give this penguin his penalty" said King Julien

"I'm sorry sir, I forgot your name, please don't punish me" said David who is now trembling in fear

David now shakes in fear of what penalty will be given to him. But the penguins are not gonna let Julien punish the little penguin for one simple mistake, so they decided stand in front of him in their fighting stances, ready to defend him, while David cowers behind them, gripped in fear.

"We're not about to let happen Julien, were prepared to defend him by any means" said Kowalski

"After all, he's only been here a few hours" adds Private.

Maurice then tries to hold back King Julien in order to ease the tension.

"Easy there you're Majesty; remember first impressions are always lasting. After all he's new here and you have to understand that he just met us, that's why he can barely remember our names."

"Ok but do not let it happen again, remember my name is King Julien, with emphasis on the King or you can call me by my codename Ringtail" said Julien

"You got it Mr. Ringtail, I promise you I won't forget it" said David

Skipper suddenly intervenes, telling to Julien to go home

"Now get your feet off our premises Ringtail and go home, before we blast you off to space, it's already late!" demanded Skipper

"Come Maurice; let us go back to my kingly habitat" said Julien

Julien then leaves the penguins HQ together with Maurice and Mort through the entrance door.

The next day...

Skipper commands Private to temporarily take David under Marlene's care while she watches over him.

"Ok men line up, after were done training, were gonna do something different today"

"Different? Ooh does that mean were gonna get snow cones?"

"Negative Private, today were gonna do some snooping around outside the zoo, were going to find the place David had mentioned yesterday, to find out if it really exists, or just something he made up. Operation: Foxhound" said Skipper

"What was that place again Skippa?" asks an inquisitive Private.

"Ugh, I'm not sure, Kowalski what was that place again?" said Skipper

"I believe he said, the tree with a hollow opening" respond Kowalski

"Alright, were gonna find that tree, and I'm pretty sure we won't, and prove once and for all, that David is in fact a spy" commanded Skipper "Alright men, move out."

On Skippers command, they all went outside the zoo to look for the tree which David had mentioned yesterday. It took them 20 minutes to find the right tree and Skipper was the first one to locate it. He then approached the tree, and when he was already near it, he reached for his flipper inside the hollow enclosure and found a picture frame. He saw that there was an image of a young penguin and an older penguin. And upon closer inspection, he realized that the picture belonged to David and his mother. Immediately Skipper knew that it was the only reminder David had with his mother before they got separated, and the little penguin must have forgotten to bring it with him when he was too busy following the Rat King and his minion's days before. They then regrouped with Skipper when he finally found the tree.

"Skipper you found the tree, I knew you would always be the first to find it" said Kowalski

They then carefully examine the tree for any secret entrance or hidden doorway that could possibly lead them to a dark tunnel. Rico and Private checks out the branches, Kowalski looks for an opening in bark of the tree while Skipper looks into the hollow enclosure. After minutes of unsuccessful attempts of any suspicious activity, they finally conclude that the tree is normal.

"Ok boys, since there's nothing suspicious here, I would consider this mission in the clear, Kowalski mark this clear in the mission files"

"Already on it Skipper" responds Kowalski while putting Operation: Foxhound in the cleared mission files.

Private then notices that something is bothering Skipper, so he asks him.

"Skippa, you alright?" asked Private

"Huh? I'm fine, nothing's wrong" said Skipper

Skipper looks at Private with an, "I'm fine grin" on the outside, but on the inside it's as if a dark abyss in his soul has been filled with remorse, compelling him to take back all the hurtful things he said to David, after all it was only his paranoia that was acting up.

"Private could I ask you a favor?" asked Skipper

"What is it Skippa, sure you could ask me a favor" responds private

"Could you give this picture frame to David?, he seems to have left it there" said Skipper

"Sure thing Skippa, but one question, where did you find this?"

"On that tree we just examined, could you please give it to him, oh and one more thing, after you give him back the picture frame, could tell David that I wan't to talk to him?" asked Skipper

"Sure thing, I'll tell it to him when he returns to the HQ" said Private

"Thanks Private" replied Skipper

_That afternoon..._

On Skippers request, Private gives David back his picture frame.

"Oh thank you Mr. Private Sir, I forgot I had this with me" said David

"No problem David, Just call me Private, it's ok with me, anyway Skippa wants to see ya, he wants to talk with you about something" said Private

After giving him his picture frame, Private then tells David that Skipper wants to talk to him, so David approaches him near the coffee table to have a talk with him.

"Listen David, I want to apologize if I've been a little bit harsh on you yesterday, I was a real jerk to you, it's just that I get a little paranoid sometimes, it's how mama nature built me" said Skipper


	7. Induction and Confessions

"So what do you say David, Friends?" asked Skipper

"Yes Sir, I want to be friends with you and thank you" David replied with an innocent smile. Skipper then returns the smile back to the young penguin.

The scene later shifts to all five of the penguins on the platform on top of the HQ. Skipper had called his team for a short briefing.

"Now that were on good terms David, I hereby officially welcome you to our unit and I expect you to give your best efforts to the team. And for starters, I'm assigning you to the rank of cadet; you start your training first thing in the A.M. So tomorrow, you wake up early and we start your training. Got that entirely cadet?" Said Skipper

"Yes Sir, I will do all I can to help the team" responds David

"Good, umm by the way, what else can you contribute to the team David?" ask Skipper

"Sir, I've heard from Miss Marlene that you guys have trouble reading and at the same time writing, but with me around however, you'll have less trouble doing it, plus I can teach you guys, I've learned all from my mother and my other relatives." Said David

"Agreed, from now on, I'm assigning you to read and write duty, umm anything else?" Skipper asks

David pondered for a short moment before an idea hatched from his tiny brain.

"Well I have this thing for vehicles, but you probably wouldn't understand Mr. Skipper"

David cut off his sentence before continuing, believing that if he did finished his sentence, the penguins would not trust him with such kind of responsibility due to his young age. But the penguins insisted that anything he says could be helpful to them.

"What about vehicles David?" asked Skipper

"Well you see, aside from reading and writing, I saw you're RC car earlier when Private gave me a tour of the lair and I also a skilled...

Skipper interrupted David before he could finish his sentence

"Whoa whoa, hold up there little soldier, did hear Private gave you a tour of the lair?" asked Skipper

"Yes Sir, he did" replied David

Skipper then turns his attention to Private, who gave David an unauthorized tour in their lair.

"Private what did I say about giving unauthorized tours to strangers? You do know only authorized personnel are allowed in the garage, giving someone a tour means they could have access to our secret lair, not to mention our secret files." said Skipper

"Sorry Skipper, but wait I thought David was already an honorary penguin? Why can't I give him a tour?" said Private

"Well that's because I haven't officially inducted him to the team yet, well not until a few minutes ago, and the penguin code states that only authorized members, such as yourself, are allowed to go in every inch and corner of our lair and no one else" said Skipper

"I won't happen again sir, I promise" respond Private smiling at Skipper

"Well I hope so soldier, imagine if our secret files did really fall in the wrong hands, it could cause mass hysteria and planet wide panic, all because you gave a tour" said Skipper menacingly

Private then gulps into fear while Skipper stared him in the eye. Kowalski then breaks up the conversation between Private and Skipper. "Umm yeah, Skipper, regarding about David?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, now what was that you were about to say?" asked Skipper

"I'm a skilled mechanic and I thought that maybe I could upgrade your car, with your permission of course Sir." he replied

Skipper not being able to control his emotions, fell on the floor laughing so hard, soon after the other penguins also started to chuckle when they heard David is a skilled mechanic. They must have thought that he was trying to make them laugh, Skipper then got up on the floor and said to him.

"A skilled reader and a mechanic?, Oh David you crack me up like an Easter egg, I give that joke a hundred percent, but I believe you are too young for such a task, maybe when you're older, well teach you how we mend broken vehicles,"

David sighed at the thought no one believed him. He was disappointed that Skipper, Rico, Kowalski and Private didn't believe him, but in reality David wasn't kidding, as he was really serious about fixing vehicles.

_The next day..._

It was 9 A.M. in the Penguins habitat and Skipper and the others are preparing to train little David. Despite being the newest member and relatively inexperienced, the young penguin was to able to catch up to their training with ease.

"Just repeat after us David, don't worry if you can't catch up, after all it's first practice with us, in time you'll get it" Said Skipper, "As for the rest of you follow after me, kick, punch, back flip, twirl, kick, weave, punch, kick, do the tumble punch, now show me the roundhouse kick, and repeat"

After a mere 2 hours of non-stop training, Skipper finally lets his team take a rest

"Excellent work out team, now it's time to take a break, we go again after 15 minutes"

After their practice, they return inside their lair through the fishbowl entrance.

Private was panting from the exhaustion of their training and he laid on the ground, "That was the best workout I've ever had" he said while panting

"Don't you mean worst?" added Kowalski

"Ablurrrgh blurrgh blah blah" grumbled Rico from exhaustion

"Get up you little knuckleheads, were not done yet with our training, we still have to practice our mad combat driving skills"

"Combat driving Skippa?, oh well at least it's inside the zoo, is it Skippa?" ask Private

Skipper has been pondering on whether to execute their combat driving skills inside the zoo or outside the zoo. Skipper then realizes it would be better for his team if they practice outside the zoo. And after careful consideration, he realizes that because David is too young to start practicing behind the wheel of the car, he assigns him a different task, a much less dangerous one in fact. They later call on Marlene for help to babysit David while he guards the penguins HQ.

"So I'm on babysitting duty, great" Marlene said sarcastically

"Affirmative Marlene, we need you to babysit the youngest member of our team and if you get into any trouble, just give us a little beep on this device" commanded Skipper

Kowalski then hands Marlene a small remote like device with a big red button in the middle.

"Did you understand my instructions Marlene?" he asked

"Yeah I got it Skipper, I just push the big red button in the middle and you guys spring into action"

"David you stay here with Marlene and be on guard duty, we don't want anyone unauthorized coming in here besides you two" commands Skipper

David responds "You got it Mr. Skipper"

"Good, we'll be right back in a jiffy, alright Rico drive us out of the zoo" commanded Skipper

"Woohoo!" Rico exclaims while driving the car

They then zoom out of the zoo using the car with lightning speed. It wasn't long before Marlene asked David what he wanted to do for the time being, she would agree to anything the young penguin wanted to do, as long as it doesn't involve sharp objects or dangerous obstacles.

She then asked him "Ok David what do you want do today?"

"Umm actually I was about to ask you something Miss Marlene, if it's okay with you" said David

"Why of course it's okay, what is it you wan't to ask me about?" she said with an eager face

"Do you have a crush on Skipper Miss Marlene?"

"Why ahh umm ugh, why would you ask that question David" she was left speechless after hearing his question

"I noticed earlier when you and Mr. Skipper were talking, I observed you hadn't been paying that much attention to what he says because you were too occupied looking into his icy blue eyes" said David

"I umm was thinking about something during that time, and I give you my word that Skipper and I are not compatible, he's a penguin and I'm an otter, I'm a mammal and he's a bird, we are totally different from each other" she replied

"Would you say yes, if he asked you out on a date Miss Marlene?" asked David


	8. Confessions of an Otter

"Maybe...why what's it to you and why are you so suddenly interested in my social life?" she said while crossing her arms

"Oh not much, I'm just curious for the fact that there is a chemistry between you two" replied David with a giggle

"Oh, well I'm not into him period" Marlene said

Marlene vehemently denies she is in love with Skipper but David keeps on insisting that isn't true at all.

So they passed the time talking about Skipper, and the more that Marlene and David talked about him, the more she got interested in their conversation. The talk went about for an hour.

"You like him don't you?" insists David

Faced with that question, she still denies she has a crush on Skipper. But her cheeks say otherwise as she blushes right in front David, her cheeks turning it into a bright rosy red. And with that she rarely admits she kind of does like hanging out with him. Then the young penguin notices that Marlene is blushing in front of him and decides to tease her about it, in a cute way of course.

"Oh Miss Marlene, you're blushing, do you really like him? I promise that I won't tell anyone, please?" asked David

And with that she hesitantly admits it.

"Ok, ok David, I admit that maybe I have a slight crush on him, but his attitude is what I hate about him, I mean he's always Mr. Assumes the worst, and his idea of space squids, but the thing I hate about him most is with that raging paranoia of his and that...

Before Marlene could continue insulting Skipper her angry tone changes rapidly into a much calm tone.

shiny beak, those feathery muscles, his cute little tail feathers and those icy blue eyes he has , oh it's so wonderful to look at", she continues to stare blankly into space thinking about her beloved Skipper and without even knowing it, she begins to drift in her own fantasy land. David just kept staring at her for no reason at all.

_The scene shifts to Marlene's fantasy land..._

"Marlene?" Skipper asked when he arrived in the HQ

"Skipper?" Marlene replied back

"Marlene!" exclaimed Skipper when he saw Marlene

"Skipper!" exclaimed Marlene when she also saw Skipper

They then ran into one another's arms and gave each other a passionate hug. Skipper then asked Marlene if she would be interested to dance with him, without a doubt she certainly agreed.

"Marlene would you be willing to dance the Ballroom Tango with me?" asked Skipper

"Wouldn't have it any other way Skipper" Marlene replied

"Alright, let's dance" replied Skipper

Then from out of nowhere, a tango song starts to play and Skipper and Marlene danced to the beat of the song

First they separate from a closed position in order to execute open moves, and then follow other several moves like the underarm turn and the alternate hand holds. Skipper and Marlene then dance the night away.

Meanwhile back in reality. Marlene fails to notice a sudden explosion in the HQ, apparently it was the penguins car that exploded right after they arrived back home.

"What was that explosion? Guys what happened?" said a disturbed David

"It's our car, it exploded when we had arrived back home" replied Private

_Now back to Marlene's fantasy..._

After their dance, Skipper has something important to tell Marlene.

"Marlene, there something important that I need to tell you" said Skipper

"What is it Skipper? You big manly penguin" she asks him then gives a compliment.

"Marlene would you marry me?" Skipper then got down on his knees and showed Marlene the engagement ring. He was finally ready to propose to her.

"Oh yes Skipper, I will, I will marry..." she said passionately to Skipper until...

Skipper arrived and snapped her back to reality. What a bummer for Marlene.

"Marlene are you all right?" asked Skipper

"Huh, what? Where's the engagement ring?" she returned back to reality, but she still felt a little dazed and confused from her fantasy.

"Engagement ring?" asked Skipper with a quizzical look

"Oh umm, nothing, nothing at all, so anyway, why back so soon you've only been gone for 20 minutes?" she asked

"20 minutes? Are you sure you're fine? We've been gone for at least an hour; we only came back because Rico here destroyed the car yet again. Right Rico?" Skipper said

"Ehehe" Rico said with a shameful grin.

"So how are you two doing here, everything fine? Did you guys get into any trouble" asked Skipper

She realized that an hour has passed since she started daydreaming. Marlene then told Skipper that she was fine and that nothing was wrong.

"I'm fine Skipper, I'm fine, anyway thanks for letting me babysit David, I really had fun with him today" said Marlene

Then Marlene, without being consciously aware of what she was doing, looks into Skipper's eyes again and abruptly drifts into fantasy yet again. Shortly after that, her fantasy is cut short when all five penguins are looking baffled at her and at the same time confused.

"Ehehehe" she laughs with a shameful grin

"Well guys I better go home now, thanks again" said Marlene while scurrying to get out of the penguins HQ to cover her shameful act.

"Anytime Marlene, anytime" replies Skipper

She blushes upon hearing Skipper's remark.

"Skippa, I think she has a crush on you" said Private

But Skipper, being as tough as he is, gave no comment as to what Private had just said

"I'll never understand the concept of love" adds Kowalski sarcastically

Skipper unexpectedly changed the topic of love and focuses his attention to their recently damaged car.

"Enough about love, now onto more pressing matters, Kowalski how soon can you fix the car?" Skipper asked Kowalski

"It could be days" replied Kowalski

"Great, we'll start working on it tomorrow morning, alright men move out, it's time for bed" commanded Skipper

The penguins followed Skippers orders and left the garage and into their bunks, David on the other hand temporarily slept on the penguins couch. Because Rico had destroyed their car, this finally gave David an opportunity to prove himself to Skipper and his team that he really wasn't kidding and that he's really a skilled mechanic.

Later that night while all the penguins were asleep, David quietly snuck out of the bed and proceeded to the garage to fix the penguins car. But before that, he took out some tools from the penguins toolbox, some of those tools were the hydraulic jack and an impact wrench. He also took out an aerosol paint to be used to spray the penguins car, to make it look brand new and give it a glossy shine. It took him the whole night trying to fix it, and when he was done, he went out for a dive out in the platform to clean himself up before going back to bed and getting some shut eye.

_The next morning..._

"Holy Mother of Mayhem!, who fixed the car?" exclaimed Skipper


	9. Mystery Mechanic

Before you read this, I hope you guys find three references the penguins made to their previous missions. That's all...

* * *

Skipper unconsciously dropped his mug that had a fish in it after catching a glimpse of their newly repaired car. And not only that, he was also surprised for the fact the car had a new paintjob, giving it a bright red and an orange mixed colour, also the wheels were much bigger than the previous model, and new features were added to the car such as rocket boosters that were attached to the side of vehicle, and a roof that can retract and fold away, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle. But the license plate still remains and it reads, "I(heart)BNJV". It was better than Skipper could ever hope for.

"Who, who fixed this car? It's, it's brilliant, genius, a total masterpiece, and it's everything I ever dreamed of having" said Skipper while hugging his newly rebuilt and upgraded car.

Before he could continue on praising his new car, Private, Kowalski and Rico entered the garage still looking sleepy. They wanted to know what the commotion was about and the reason why Skipper kept ranting.

Private was still rubbing his eyes when Skipper started to praise him for something

"Nice work on the car Private, I like the mix of colours you used on the car, very artistic" praised Skipper

"Very artistic on what Skipper?" said the confused Private

"The car" replies Skipper

After Private rubbed his eyes, he realized that Skipper was talking about the newly rebuilt car, they also became astonished and at the same time confused at its new design.

"Whoa, wicked, it's the most beautiful car I've ever seen" said Private

"It's truly a state-of-the-art designed automobile transportation" said a bewildered Kowalski

"Blaghh, blah blah blurggh blurgh diblagh blurgh" grumbled Rico at the sight of the car

"Yep, it's truly amazing, and we owe it all to Private, soldier I'm thinking of promoting you to a new rank, and that is the rank of Specialist or SPC, you deserve it soldier. But you didn't ask for permission to build the car, and that is a violation of the penguin code.

Private then interrupts Skipper and he denies any involvement in the construction of the vehicle.

"I'm sorry to say this sir but I didn't build the car, I'm just as amazed as you are Skipper" said an innocent Private to Skipper

"Ooh my mistake, Kowalski did you build this marvellous piece of machine?" asked Skipper

"Umm not mine either Skipper, but I wish I could take credit for it, I can't wait to drive it around the zoo" denies Kowalski with excitement

"No? Well then it certainly wasn't Rico, he never disobeyed me before, except for the one time when he and Roger switched brains and Rico, inside Rogers body, caused rampage and mayhem in the city streets and almost destroyed everything." Said Skipper

But Skipper had his doubts, Rico did disobey him once. So he decides to ask Rico if he built the car, just to be on the safe side.

"Rico did you build this car? I remember you once fixing the car in order to cover up your heinous crime, but your plan backfired on you when the evil car tried to chase you, so I'm asking you again, did you build this?" asked Skipper, hoping that Rico would admit that he was the one capable of creating such a monstrosity.

Unfortunately, Rico's answer is the same as Private and Kowalski before, and that is denial in the involvement of the car.

"Nope" grumbled Rico

"Well then who? I certainly didn't build it, but if I did, which I wish I really did, I would have told you guys sooner, this car right here is state of the art and no one in this zoo aside from the four of us can build this type of machine. Certainly not Marlene, Burt, Joey or any of the Lemurs, much less that Ringtail. He even stole Alice's zoo cart once in order to challenge us to a race." Said Skipper

"But Skipper, if no one in this zoo aside from us can build it, then who did?" said Private inquisitively

"I don't have the slightest clue, help me out here men, use your think melons, who could have built this car" said Skipper while walking back and forth with his flippers behind his back.

At Skipper's command, they all used their brain to try to match the person capable of building their car. It went silent for at least 10 minutes, until Private raised his left flipper...

"What is it Private? You know the culprit who did this?"

"Well no, just a hunch, it's just that I don't want to point any flippers, but I think David did all of this" said Private

And with Private's mention of David, Kowalski adds to Private's testimony

"Skipper I think Private is right, it could be David who was responsible for rebuilding this car" adds Kowalski

"Aha" grumbles Rico, his way of saying yes.

"I am?" asked Private

"Apparently yes, I agree with you private" replied Kowalski

With Skipper in doubt, he challenges to Kowalski to prove that David is actually the one they're looking for.

"Ok Kowalski prove it, how so? Why David? What made you think that he built this, I mean did you even consider his age, he's too young to be a mechanic" asked Skipper

"Yeah I know about that, but based from what I heard yesterday, he did mention that he was a mechanic and he's good with vehicles, so I conclude that David is the one we're looking for"

"Come to think of it I did hear him mention something about a car, but we didn't take him seriously because we were too busy laughing, I think Kowalski is right Skipper" said Private.

"Impossible, he's too young to be handling such a complicated task, let alone a car, but just to be sure, let's ask him" Skipper finally agrees with his team and proceeds to talk to David.

The scene shifts near the penguin's coffee table with Rico, Kowalski and Private in the left lined up according to their height, David standing on the right side near the steps and finally Skipper in the middle. He walks back and forth, about to interrogate David if he really was the one who remodelled the penguin's car.

"Ok soldier, I know you've been in this unit for a few days now, and I remember yesterday that you had mentioned you will do all you can to help the team, isn't that right cadet?" asked Skipper

"Yes Sir" replied David with a salute

"Good, but now I should ask you, did you or did you not build the car in the garage last night" said Skipper

"Yes Sir, I was the one who built the car, I built it when you were all sleeping Mr. Skipper" replied David

"Solely and without permission, that is a violation of the penguin code, and what you did soldier was...

David, now trembling in fear because he thought he was going to endure Skipper's nonstop tirade, instead is given a compliment and a word a thanks for his action.

"Brilliant, genius and very artistic, I thank you for remodelling our car soldier, it would have taken us days even with all four penguins in this zoo to repair it. From now on, not only am I assigning you to read and write duty, I'm also assigning you to repair and maintenance duty, and from this day forward you will be designated as our Transportation Specialist and the Mechanic of the team, you deserve it all too well soldier"

"Thanks Mr. Skipper" replied David as he happily ran to Skipper and gave him a hug, Skipper also agreed, he went down his knees and returned the hug to David.

"But don't ever do something like that again without permission, ok soldier?" said Skipper

"Yes Sir, I won't forget it" replied David with an innocent smile

Meanwhile as Private watched the ongoing scenario, he was becoming jealous of the attention David was receiving, he then muttered to himself while rolling his flippers into a fist "Skipper never gave me that much attention when I do something right, he never even gave me a hug, not even once, hmph" he then crossed his flippers and turned his head away in disgust.

"Come on Mr. Skipper, I installed new features of the car, let's go to the garage" said David as he tried to convince Skipper and the others to go back to the garage and show them the new features of the car.

* * *

BEFORE THIS CHAPTER ENDS, I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A PREVIEW FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER TO COME

"Who do you think you are coming to this zoo and into our home! Get out of here, you're not welcome here"

"Apologize now soldier"

"He's not here Skipper"


	10. The Apprentice and the Jealous Private

They finally reached the garage and the excitement motivates David to tell Skipper and the others what new features he has installed in their car.

"Mr. Skipper, Mr. Skipper, did you see the rocket boosters that I had installed in the side?" asked David pulling Skipper's flipper while dragging him near the car. Skipper then releases David's flipper while he tries to talk. He clears his throat before opening his beak.

"Yes, I already noticed that earlier David, in fact it was the first thing I've seen when I first came in here this morning" said Skipper

David was disappointed due to the fact that he did not have the chance to tell Skipper about the rocket booster.

"Aww, you already saw it, but did you see its other features, did you see it all?" asked David with a little disappointment on his face.

"Affirmative soldier, we've seen everything this car has to offer us, right boys?" asked Skipper

"Right, sure Skipper, I guess" Private, Kowalski and Rico replied in unison.

"All of it?" asked David, believing that they had not seen all that they should have seen and that there others they failed to notice.

"Rocket Boosters" said Skipper, "Bigger wheels" replied Kowalski, "New paintjob, artistic too" said Private with a compliment

"Diblarrgh blurgh woosh" grumbled Rico which translates to retractable roof.

After a few days of staying with the penguins in the zoo, David has already picked up Rico's language since the time the youngster arrived in the HQ, which explains the reason why he didn't need someone to translate for him what Rico had just said a few minutes ago.

"So how did we do soldier?" asked Skipper

After hearing some of the aforementioned features, David was more excited than ever to tell them that there was more than meets the eye, or more specifically the penguin's eyes.

"Okay I guess, but did you guys also know that I even installed a built-in GPS navigation system, complete with an automated voice modulator and a small video screen?" asked David

"A GP- what?" asked a speechless Skipper

"You know, a GPS navigation system, a device that can pinpoint your exact location and can give you turn-by-turn directions to help you find your way. Mostly it will also guide you to the closest gas station, hospital or wherever you like. It can steer you out of a bad neighbourhood if you guys ever get into one. It can route you around traffic, and no matter how lost you get, the GPS can always help you find your way home back to the zoo, whenever, wherever you maybe. No need for maps, except maybe for emergencies only" said David

David had mentioned emergencies only at the end just to be on the safe side.

While watching at the ongoing interaction between David and Skipper, Private's jealous desires catch up to him, inciting him to imagine that he should be in place of David and therefore furthering his anger even more than before. But instead of an unexpected outburst in front of his team, he tried repressing his emotions, at least for the time being.

Now back to David and Skipper's interaction...

"Outstanding, I would have never thought of that myself, once again soldier you amaze me. So, what else did you install?" asked Skipper

"I've been waiting for you to say that Mr. Skipper" said David as he was expecting Skipper to utter those words.

"Well from what you guys didn't see before, I have also installed a remote keyless entry which allows you to unlock your car by pushing a button on a remote, a panic button which honks the horn and keeps away intruders, anti-lock brakes, adjustable pedals, front and rear seat DVD players, music players installed in the front seat, a parachute ejecting seat, side airbags, and of course my personal favourite, cup holders." said David while trying to activate each of its individual features.

"Ooh cup holders, I like the sound of that" said Skipper with an agreeable tone.

"I forgot to mention Mr. Skipper, it's also eco friendly so it won't harm the environment" respond David

Rico, without hesitation, approached the car and activated the cup holder feature; he then regurgitated a cup of orange juice and placed it on the cup holder, making sure it's the right fit.

"Perfect fit soldier" remarked Skipper to Rico

"Aha" Rico nodded yes

"Well David, from what I've witness here today, you've proven yourself worthy of the team, but I have just one question, I mean, I don't doubt your skills or anything soldier but where'd you learn to build all of this? And who taught you?" asked Skipper

David explains how he knew to build and upgrade automobile.

"Well you see sir, before me and my mother got separated, we were already in the hands of those awful poachers during that time. I met a friend, an older penguin who is the same age as you guys, taught me everything that I need to know about fixing cars and upgrading machines. His name was Rupert; he had a hoarse voice for a penguin his age. He's actually self-taught and is much more skilled in repairing cars than I am; I was just his skilled apprentice at that time." Explains David

Scene shifts to David narrating the story...

One day, when one of the cars of the poachers broke down during a snowstorm, they decided to spend the night in their man made igloo until the snowstorm subsides, we on the other hand stayed in our cages inside the igloo. But not Mr. Rupert, no he didn't. After the snowstorm had settled down, he quietly snuck out of the igloo and into the poacher's car. Due to my curiosity, I decided to follow him. I then found him under the car, possibly trying to check on something.

"Mr. Rupert, what are you doing?" I asked him

"Kid (clears his throat), what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your mama child?" He said

"Nope I'm not sleepy yet, and by the way, what are you doing?" I asked

"What's it look like I'm doing, I'm fixing the car silly, now go back to your mama child, I have work to do" he said in a raspy voice.

"Can I help you fix the car Mr. Rupert, please? I really want to help you" I said

"Umm how can I say this, No! Now go back to the igloo kid, this is not the kind of work for you" said Rupert

"Come on Mr. Rupert, oh please, please, please, please" I kept begging him, it wasn't long after he finally agreed to let me help him.

"Alright kid, you can help, but cause any trouble, and I'll change my mind, got it?" said Rupert in a raspy voice

"You got it sir" I David

"Good, now could you get the manual inside the car, I need it" said Rupert

"Yes Sir Mr. Rupert" I replied

And so I did, I went inside and searched for the manual inside the car, but before I could give it to Mr. Rupert, I decided to open its contents and read it for awhile. There I realized, after reading the manual, that I was destined to be a mechanic and a machinist too. So I asked Mr. Rupert, upon giving him the book, to teach me the ways of the machine, at first he was reluctant to teach me because I was too young, but because he could see the eagerness in my eyes, he finally agreed. He also thought that he needed a successor, someone who he could pass his talents to when he's gone, and since I'm the only one interested in machines. I became his apprentice. And since then, he would teach me everything I need to know about cars, he even gave me tips and tricks. Spending time with him was one of the best moments of my life, yet the time came to say goodbye when we were about to be separated, and the last thing he said to me before he was taken away was...

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. Be strong David, wherever life may take you, and never be afraid to carry out your dreams" said Rupert.

"And that was the last time I saw him, it was a very painful moment me, but I had to carry on with my life even though I've lost too many good people in my life" said David while he sat down on the ground crying.

"That was a beautiful story David, just beautiful" said a crying Skipper as he couldn't control his emotions. Skipper wasn't the only one crying, even Rico, Private and Kowalski started crying.

"Rico hand me a tissue" asked Skipper

Rico regurgitates a box of tissue and pulls out a tissue to give it to Skipper, who uses it to blow his nose. The other penguins also used the tissue. Then Skipper, who now stopped crying, approached David to tell him some more good news.

"David, you have definitely shown that you are honorary penguin in this unit, an outstanding penguin I may say so, in fact so outstanding that I'm assigning you for recon duty tonight" said Skipper

Upon hearing that Skipper had replaced him with David for recon duty tonight, Private exploded with a sudden outburst.

"What!" exclaimed Private.

"Private, what did I tell you about sudden outbursts?" said Skipper

"Sorry for the sudden outburst Skipper, but why did you give my recon duty to him sir?" said Private, eager to know why Skipper had done that

"Oh I don't know, because he deserves it more than you right now, I mean look at him, he's already endured some hardships, and the next best thing to enlighten his spirit is to at least give him a reward. But don't worry soldier, I'm rescheduling you recon duty tomorrow night" said Skipper

"But, but, but" said Private

"No buts, end of story" Skipper cut off Private before he could reason out with him.

"Now move out boys, we have to get ready for training exercise" said Skipper

The Penguins slid out of the fishbowl entrance to do their morning training exercise. While training, David notices that Private isn't himself ever since this morning, so decides to confront Private about it.

"Mr. Private, are you ok?" asked David to Private, quickly realizing that Private is becoming jealous because of the attention that David is receiving from Mr. Skipper.

"Oh yes David, I'm all right, nothing to worry about" replied Private with a fake and creepy smile while staring at the small penguin. In his mind though, David knows there something not right about Private, but he just shrugs it off, hoping that he is just paranoid about the whole situation.

After their training exercise, the scene shows a conversation between Private and Kowalski. Private walks back and forth near the coffee table talking to Kowalski, while complaining about how David grabs all the attention, hoping that somehow Kowalski could help him.

"He just came here a few days ago, and now look at him, he's grabbing all the attention from Skipper, before he even came here, I used to be the youngest member and I was always the cute and cuddly one!, now it's all gone because of him, I just wished he'd go away and never came back! Were you listening Kowalski?" said Private while slamming both of his flippers in the coffee table staring at Kowalski, meanwhile Kowalski was busy with his invention that he's trying to create on top of the table.

"Oh yes, every word Private, every word, but don't you think your exaggerating a little bit too much, I mean, you understand David don't you, he's already endured a hard life, let alone being separated from his mother at a very young age. And Skipper is just trying to give him more attention because he wants' David to feel like he's part of our family, not only to us, but to the whole zoo."

"Yes I know that, but the way Skipper gave him a compliment instead of a punishment for not asking for permission to build a car is just unfair, if we commit a violation, we receive punishment, why not him, why!" said an angry Private

"Oh please, he's a kid, he doesn't know any better, just give him a chance" replied Kowalski

"And if I may suggest, don't let it get to your head Private, because the more you internalize your emotions, the more that you could do something that you might regret" adds Kowalski

"Alright, I'll try, thanks for the advice Kowalski" said Private calmly then leaves.

Later while all five Penguins are watching TV, the television suddenly overheated, causing its circuits to go haywire.

"Oh dear, the telly, its going haywire!" exclaimed Private

"Rico pull the plug from TV before it explodes" commands Skipper

Immediately Rico pulls the plug from the television, thereby preventing it from it exploding, but unfortunately the penguins are left with no television and it would take days before they enjoy the magic of television.

"Kowalski status report on the TV" said Skipper

"It's still in the repairing stage, but I don't think I'll be able to finish it until tomorrow, I'm sorry Skipper" said Kowalski

"Well men the TV is a bust, and we won't be able to watch it 'till tomorrow so until then we'll have to find some other way to pass our time" said a disappointed Skipper

Immediately they started to find ways to occupy their time until David said something that caught their attention.

"Umm Mr. Skipper, I can fix the TV if you want" said David

"You? But I thought you could only fix cars" asked Skipper

"Well aside from cars, I could also fix the TV, it's still a machine you know" said David

"All right, amuse me" replied Skipper

And with Skipper's command, the young penguin proceeds to repair the TV, the others just kept looking at him in awe, and finally within an hour, the TV was repaired.

"Cheese and Crackers he did it, the TV is finally finished, now we can continue watching" exclaimed a happy Skipper

Rico also mumbled and grumbled for happiness

"I hate to admit it, but he's a genius" adds Kowalski

"Yeah genius" replied Private with a smirk

Later than night, while on night recon duty at the top of the clock tower. David ponders on the events that happened earlier today and how he worries about Private's actions.

"I hope Mr. Private isn't jealous of me, I'm not trying to take his place by grabbing all the attention from Mr. Skipper, heck I'm not even supposed to be here in the first place. I merely just came here by chance when my crate fell off. Oh well, I hope things get better in the morning" said David while using the binoculars.

Moments later after recon duty, David is shown going down the ladder near the entrance. He as he prepares to go to bed, he can feel that there is something wrong in the atmosphere. Private then appears from the darkness, about to ask him something.

"David do you have a minute? I'd like to talk something with you for moment" said Private

"Sure Mr. Private what is it?" asked an innocent David

Private starts off in a gentle tone

"Are you deliberately trying to take my place by grabbing Skipper's attention?" asked Private

"What do you mean Mr. Private? I don't understand" asked a confused David, now starting to tremble in fear

"Oh don't play dumb with me David; you know what I'm talking about, are you trying to force me out of the zoo so you can take my place the youngest member of Skipper's team!", said Private, his tone starts to change into furious one.

"Umm no sir, I'm not trying to take your place, honest" said a now crying David, begging Private to stop it.

"Liar! Don't lie to me David, I know you are lying, admit it!" said a furious Private

"No sir, I promise!" begged David, now pinned to a corner by Private

"Yeah that's what you are, you're a dirty dirty liar, and you're pants are on fire!" exclaimed Private.

"Who do you think you are coming to this zoo and into our home! Get out of here, you're not welcome here, you'll never be worth anything, you're nothing but a selfish penguin and you don't deserve to be in this zoo!" shouted Private

Fortunately before Private could continue with more insults, Kowalski, Skipper, Rico came out of Kowalski's lab and were completely dismay at what they had seen. Private had cornered the young penguin, and Skipper immediately rushed to his aid.

"Private what did you do? How could you? You made this innocent like penguin cry?" said Skipper with concern. "There, there, I assure you everything is all gonna be alright" said Skipper as he cradled the David into his flippers.

"Apologize now soldier" demanded Skipper

"I'm sorry David" adds a remorseful Private.

"I'm sorry Skipper, I was just trying to ask him a question, I guess I got carried away" said Private as he realized he had done something he regret.

"That's enough soldier, you've done enough damage for one night, and as punishment I'm relieving you of duty until tomorrow night. And that means no recon duty, I'm giving away your recon duty schedule to Rico" said Skipper

David then detaches himself away from Skipper and jumps away from his flippers and lands on the ground. He then tells Private what he wants' to hear

"Well you got your wish Mr. Private; you won't have to worry for long because I'm planning to leave the zoo and I'm going to find a new place to stay" said a sobbing David

"David wait" yells Skipper

He then swiftly escapes through the fishbowl entrance and runs away in the dark of night. Skipper and his team with the exception of Private follow behind to catch up to him.

"Rico, Kowalski come with me, were going to search for David, remember leave no stone unturned" said Skipper

"Right" they answered in unison.

"I'm coming too Skipper, this is all my fault" said a sobbing Private

"You stay here soldier, you're relieved of duties for now" replied Skipper

"Come on men, move, move" said Skipper

Marlene, having been awakened from the noise, spots Skipper and his team scurrying the zoo as if looking for something.

"Guys, what's happening?" she asked

"Not now Marlene, were trying find David, he ran away" said Skipper

"Ran away? How?" she asked intently

"Apparently, a certain jealous Private scared him off, look Marlene if you want to help, search your habitat" said Skipper

Marlene then thoroughly searches her habitat for David, but to no avail, the penguin wasn't there.

"Well? Did you find him?" asked Skipper

"He's not here Skipper" said Marlene

"Well keep looking, he could be around here somewhere" said Skipper

Elsewhere...

David had already passed by the entrance of the zoo and left its confines for good. He then muttered to himself while sobbing.

"I knew it, I knew the zoo wasn't the place for me, I'd be better off living with Mr. Rat King in the sewers" he muttered to himself

And upon remembering the Rat King who offered him a place to stay days ago, he decides to go back to the sewers and try to convince the Rat King to let him stay.

At the sewers...

The Rat King and his minions were already setting up a plan to steal the Zoovenir Shop merchandise in a few days when suddenly, David appears in the room, still sobbing. He then immediately gives the Rat King a hug and realizes that his true home is with them, not in the zoo.

"Umm boss, shouldn't he be in the zoo?" said one of his minions

"Yeah he should be, David what happened?" asked the Rat King

"They threw me out, they really didn't want me there, I'm better off living down here as a sewer rat" sobbed David

"What do we do now boss? Now our plan is ruined" said the disappointed rat minion

"Don't worry, I knew plan A wouldn't work, that's why I initiated Plan B"

"Plan B?" the rat minions said in unison while scratching their heads looking confused.

The Rat King reveals a pocket watch and convinces David to continue staring at it. The young penguin complies and he follows the movement of the clock like a pendulum, swinging back and forth. The young penguin, now at the mercy of the Rat King, falls under his spell, is hypnotized into thinking Skipper and his team are now his sworn enemies. He is then sent back to the zoo yet again; seemingly looking normal but now is under the spell of the Rat King. And that every night he's hypnotized to steal the Zoovenir Shop merchandise and give them to the Rat King and his minions. Thus ending this very long chapter. Stay tuned what happens next...


End file.
